Santa's Helper
by PTBvisiongrrl
Summary: Just a quick bit of Christmas fluff. Santa needs protection, and RangeMan has the job, but Steph looks best in green spandex...


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Pen Name: PTBvisiongrrl

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Story Title: Santa's Helper

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Summary: A fluffy, quick Christmas piece

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Story Rating:PG

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Status: Complete

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Genre: Drama

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Couple: Stephanie and Ranger

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Spoilers: not really

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, although I would really like to meet up with Ranger in a dark room somewhere. I simply borrow and gently use them for my amusement.

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Santa's Helper

Stephanie looked over her reflection in the mirror and shook her head. When Ranger had called her and asked if she was interested in a job, she had assumed it was the usual distraction operations. When Ranger had shown up bearing a big white box and said he already had the outfit for her job, she had a fun thirty seconds imaging what revealing outfit he had picked out for her to wear. She was mightily disappointed when the tissue paper in the box parted to reveal _this_.

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This was a very short, stretchy velvet green dress with a deep plunging neckline and trimming in soft, white fur. With four-inch paten leather thigh high boots and a matching green Santa hat. She had a bad feeling that she wasn't going to like what she had already agreed to do.

When she waltzed out of her bedroom in the slutty Christmas elf get up, Ranger's eyes darkened in a way that sent a familiar rush of heat to parts south. She felt a flush creep up her body under Ranger's intense gaze and had to look away. Then he got himself together and explained the job.

Steph really didn't like it.

Santa, it seemed, was in danger. The Quakerbridge Mall Santa, to be precise. Threats had been made against Santa, and the mall was worried. Santa was big bucks for the mall. So they had hired private security to protect him.

And RangeMan was his security service.

"You want me to do what in this outfit? For how many hours a day?" Steph asked, her voice squeaking. "I know people who shop in that mall!"

Ranger wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'll admit, nine hour shifts are a bit long, but I think you'll make a more believable elf than Tank. The thought of him in green spandex frightens me; I'd hate to see what it would do to little children. Think of it as-"

"Don't you dare say community service!" Steph cringed. Nine hours in four-inch heels? Not a big deal. In green, spandexy velvet? Even that, not too big a deal. But nine hours of dealing with crying, snotty, crumb-crushing germ-factories? Uh, uh, no way.

She must have spoken out loud. "Kids aren't that tough, Babe."

"You've never baby-sat little Gazzarras." Steph unconsciously reached up to smooth her hair, several inches of which had been a casualty of her last child-watching experience.

"They're there to see Santa. Just threaten them with coal." Ranger joked. "Honestly, I don't have anyone that I can put this close to Santa except for you."

Steph agreed that the typical RangeMan could not pass for a helper-elf and would probably scare the children away. But where would he hide them, then? Because she certainly couldn't protect Santa all by herself.

"Lester, Bobby, and Tank all have covers as security or retail sales. They'll be close enough by if something happens." Ranger pushed her away from him and twirled her around, looking over the costume. "You'll be perfect."

Steph sighed, sitting down on her sofa. She never said no to Ranger.

Lester smiled in Stephanie's direction, the closest she would get to a greeting while they were all undercover, but it was a wolf-smile that lingered up and down her body. Quite frankly, after four hours of helping kids get Santa pictures, Steph was getting tired of being leered at. The fathers in line were bored out of their minds, and Steph seemed to be entertainment to them.

Adult entertainment, judging from their leers.

It was becoming embarrassing to her, especially after a group of young teenage boys asked if they could get their picture taken with the elf instead of Santa.

Sighing, she watched the clock, counting how long until she was done for the day. Then she could change, grab some greasy food-court snack, and finish her own shopping. Well, that was the plan until she saw her sister, daughters in tow, step into the line.

There went the hope that her mother might not hear about this for a day or two.

Straightening up the photo counter as the Santa line died down for the night- ten minutes to go- Steph didn't notice Ranger leaning against the counter at first. When she did, her heart thumped.

The man in black was his usual to-die-for self. Black on black, like a second skin, but instead of the usual mercenary outfit, he had on jeans tight in all the right places and a silk, button-down shirt. Work boots were replaced by buckled leather loafers. His hair was loose and wavy around his shoulders. Then a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth.

Okay, suddenly the crap part of this job wasn't so bad, as long as Ranger met her at the end of the day like this and gave her that sexy half-smile.

"Babe, you're causing quite a stir." He came over and slipped an arm around her, leaning in to kiss her in full view of the line of kids with haggard parents and the hundreds of mall shoppers. She swore her toes had curled before he released her.

Not that she hadn't enjoyed that, but- "What was that for?" she asked breathlessly, still a little unsteady on her feet.

He pointed up. "Mistletoe." Damn, there really was. Ranger brushed his hand up her arm, looping it casually around her shoulders. "And I thought that the crowds of men might back off if it looked like you were taken."

"Huh?" Steph eloquently asked.

"Quite a buzz. It seems that Santa's new helper is pulling in more than a few new customers." Ranger chuckled. "You should check out the comments on the mall's website, Babe. It'll make you blush."

Steph straightened her body. "Lester's leering already did."

Ranger's arm tightened a bit. "Lester?"

She smiled at him. "He wasn't the only one today." Then the smile faded. "Crap. I wonder what my mother's heard about this?"

"Knowing the way the Burg grapevine works, you're probably screwing Santa in the middle of the fountain," a familiar voice intruded on Steph and Ranger's conversation.

"That's so not funny, Joe," Steph retorted at him.

"Well, I guess it's no coincidence that you're Santa's elf and Ranger's here," Morelli stated dryly. "Try not to get Santa blown up or shot, okay?"

"What are you doing here?" Steph demanded. Ranger stayed silent, but his arm stayed around her.

"Checking in on Santa." Joe leaned languidly against the fake fence encircling the little Christmas village. "And checking out a rumor. You really are causing quite a stir. Someone at the station already has you as their screen saver."

Steph thumped her head down on the counter. Morelli chuckled, then ambled away, his parting shot over his shoulder a compliment. "Maybe I would have kept believing in Santa if all his elves looked like you, Cupcake."

Gently stroking her hair, Ranger leaned down to the counter's height. "Only three more days to go, Babe,"

Christmas Eve morning, and the line at Santa's village was already so long that it was blocking the entrance to Macy's. After a quick chat with Santa, it was becoming obvious that Steph really was adding to the draw. Sales this year were double last year's, and the mall had already asked her to work as an elf- not security- again next year. She had told them emphatically "No!", but they said they'd be in touch next October to see if she had changed her mind.

Steph was in a pissy mood, though, because she had found a present sitting on the counter this morning for her. The card only had on it: "For Santa's beautiful helper," and the box held a Tiffany heart bracelet. She had hoped that it was from Ranger, not that she had ever gotten a Christmas present from him before, but a quick phone call to him had corrected that notion.

Ranger had been concerned. He was certain that if there was going to be any attack on Santa, as implied in the letters that had been received, it would be today. So he had pulled in a few extra men for today's shift, anyway, and was glad that he had. Those extra men were now to keep an eye on her while she kept an eye on Santa, despite Steph's protests to Ranger. He wouldn't hear any of it, stating only that he should have taken this into consideration when it had become obvious that Steph was almost as much a draw as Santa. His voice had been tight and uncompromising, and he had hung up with only an exasperated "Babe."

So she was here, feeling more eyes on her than usual and quite uncomfortable. She was jumpy and her attention was split a million different ways. She kept nervously examining the line, wondering if her psycho- who may or may not also be Santa's psycho- was there.

By the end of the day at six, as the Mall began to close down and RangeMen circled closer to the village, Steph was exhausted from balancing on a tight rope of nerves for so many hours. Ranger had again strolled up as she was preparing to leave, decked out in urban commando galore. She was pretty certain that she could make out at least two guns bulging under his leather jacket.

"Well, I made it through the day, and no one came after me." Steph tried to smile at Ranger, but she couldn't quite pull it off. "It's really sad when a surprise, anonymous present immediately makes me think I'm being stalked instead of wondering who likes me that much."

Ranger inclined his head in his version of a nod. "It certainly seems like it was an innocence enough gift. Nothing unusual happened today. So the job is over, successfully completed." The tone of his voice changed. "It's a shame you won't have to wear that outfit anymore, though. Will you keep it?"

Steph considered for a moment. She did not understand this elf costume thing. "You really like this?"

Ranger leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Oh, yeah."

"Men are weird." Stephanie stated. "But how about you treat me to dinner, and I'll keep the thing on."

"Boots, too?" Ranger asked, his eyes dilating a little.

"Yeah, what the hell. Boots, too." Stephanie watched his reaction. Oh, boy, this outfit was going to be a keeper.

"Deal." Ranger caught her arm and pulled her toward the mall exit, whispering in her ear, "And maybe after dinner, I can show you what a naughty little boy I can be…"


End file.
